Originally Posted by
Mr IGH
IMHO, IGH are enjoyed mostly by geeks that like dorking around. They take some unique care and feeding, they can make a riders life difficult when things go wrong. I spent over 18 months figuring out how to make my im9 run correctly. It runs like a top...now. If I required an LBS to sort it out I doubt I would have ever got it running right.
Apart from wearing out a rapid-fire shifter with overuse, my Alfine has never required any sort of special care or feeding. Once in a while I squint at the little window on the hub to make sure the marks are lined up, that's it apart from oiling the chain. I've ridden to work at -22 C here in Saskatoon, through drifting snow, and never had a problem. My own tolerance for cold is the only limiting factor.
For a long highway ride I'll use my road bike with derailleur gears. For lugging potatoes home from the farmer's market, the IGH bike is a much easier ride.